A Sentence (Or Two) A Day: September 2019.

The official start of spring, the final single digit month of the year…. September, you’re pretty special.

Spring has sprung and what beautiful weather to usher in the new season.
I just met lovely people wherever I went today. Here. There. Everywhere.
I opened a new block of chocolate for the treats jar today.

This one’s a keeper!
The inevitable has happened. I am sadly nearing the end of a series of crime novels I have become very attached to. The grief is real, I tell you!
It was ‘Be Late For Something’ Day today. I was late for something – lunch. Because I left it at home. Never mind.
An evening of reflection, inspiration and gratitude. It was my work’s annual staff dinner tonight and I heard so many stories of courage, hope and selflessness over the course of the evening. Reminding me again about the unique position and perspective of my chosen profession.
Free lollies with my Saturday shopping?

Don’t mind if I do.
Found! The bag of summer.

These Ikea mini shoppers are a steal at 69 cents a pop. Cents….
I’m still wondering whether I sent my fax the right way up this afternoon… We must be the only industry in Australia that still depends on fax machines.
I’ve lost count of the number of mugs of tea I’ve drunk today to keep warm. Windy days always make me feel cold.
Oh I’m all talked out from today. All. Talked. Out.
Looking forward to starting the penultimate book in the DI Greene series in bed tonight.
Well done, Master SSG on your ribbon for running at your athletics carnival today!
Panadol, fresh berries, oranges and plenty of fluids. Everything and anything to make sure I get over this cold for race day tomorrow.
What a stunning day for a 10K and what a time!

Over the moon.
So glad that I was able to carve out some time just for myself this morning. Opportunities like that don’t come around twice on a Monday.
Considering myself very fortunate to have the privilege of listening to Steve Biddulph speak tonight. He is such an engaging and thought provoking speaker.
This dragging around a wet umbrella everywhere I go is wearing very, very, very thin at the moment.
One of those days that didn’t quite go to plan…. pretty much from the get go. Still, at least tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!!
A picnic lunch in the car, Master SSG’s school musical, dinner with my brother from Perth and a drive back and forth into … The CBD.

A day of high adventure! And yes, we made it back home without getting too lost from that spot of city driving.
An absolutely lovely evening having dinner with my family.

It meant to much to be able to bring everyone together tonight.
A day of celebration. Friendships, birthdays, family.
The last Monday of term and the last Monday before annual leave. Bring. It. On.
Beautiful morning at Parsley Bay as a school excursion parent.

I had the foresight to bring hand sanitizer! I wasn’t much practical help beyond this though.
And that’s term three done and dusted.

I got a bit teary this morning because it’s the last time Master SSG will be wearing the winter ELC uniform. Ever. He’s growing up….
So close I can taste that R and R. Second last day at work before annual leave. Oh, and I managed to get a heap of errands done straight after work before heading home. It’s the little things.
My ‘out of office’ email went live at 5pm. See you in a bit, hectic workplace and adorable Face of a new hospital initiative.

Be good while I’m away.
I don’t even know who I am anymore. I’ve started packing.

A good 5 days out from my flight.
I don’t know why I get so anxious about my optometrist appointment. It was all much less painful than I feared it would be. It was even a pleasant experience thanks to my lovely optometrist.
Today was the last day of the last single-digit month of twenty nineteen. Anyone else in a mild panic that it’s happened already?

My batteries are recharging as I type this post.

I’m officially at the start of a fortnight and bit’s worth of leave and it feels good. I don’t know what it is about the pace of my life right now but the school holidays are as much for my benefit as they are for the student of the house. Perhaps it’s because I now work that extra day or perhaps it’s my body attempting to recover from the winter’s infections and the niggling aches and pains that are your lot in life when you’re over forty or even a combination of them all. One thing’s for certain – this break is going to work wonders on my body, mind and soul.

The mornings are so richly coloured these days. I’m looking forward to enjoying them at my leisure while I run rather than while I’m stuck behind the wheel behind everyone else doing quick mental calculations about exactly how many minutes they’ll be late by if this traffic doesn’t get a move on.

Holidays call for extra special weekend brekkies. In my case – bacon, cheese and egg croissants with a splodge or two of Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce. This particular brand is it as far as I’m concerned. Available in mega-huge bottles at Costco or in the petite size at Woolworths. That croissant was a little nod to Paris, of course.

Speaking of Paris. It’s only five days until I fly out. I’ve sorted out a SIM card, my new Travel Money cards have arrived, my insurance is sorted and ….

I’ve started some solid packing. I’ve made peace with my baggage allowance and as you can see from the photo, only the bare essentials are being packed. I never go anywhere these days without a couple of packets of Peckish vegetable crackers and my own tea bags. Isn’t fortysomething travel so …. exciting and unpredictable? Preparing you for my Paris diaries is what this is….

There’s a bit of excitement over in my Discovery Garden. The sunflower seedlings seem to be growing centimetres on a daily basis.

Kmart provided this $2 packet of giant ice cream sticks which I’ve been writing on and using as markers for the seedlings.

No lap of the shops would be complete without a stop at Aldi and I feel that the universe smiled as she directed me here this fine Saturday. Dark chocolate Merci variety packs are back. They’ve been missing from the shelves of Aldi for years. My last stash was from Berlin last last year.

Are you on holidays right now too? You deserve it. Enjoy.

This week I’m loving being an accidental green thumb thanks to Woolworths’ Discovery Garden seedling kits.

What started off as Master SSG’s hobby has now become mine.

I’m fully invested. I even bought two of the limited edition sunflower kits – proceeds from their sale goes to a drought relief fund Woolies has set up for Australian farmers.

Hacks for growing the seedlings include housing them in plastic berry cartons to simulate greenhouse conditions.

I’ve taken to regularly taking our seedlings out into the back garden to encourage growth and to reduce mould growing on the cardboard seedling pots.

I think both hacks are working! I admit to being somewhat cynical about any of our seeds actually sprouting when I first began planting them but it’s been a wonderful surprise each morning to see the growth in each pot.

Sunflower and rocket seedlings hot housed in an old strawberry punnet.

Are you on the Discovery Garden bandwagon?

Do you believe the theory that some seedlings are rarer than others?

Personally, I’m stoked to have coriander and basil among our collection so far.

I’m no longer even remotely embarrassed to admit this….

I love being a tourist in my own city.

I’m there taking in the view from hotel windows the moment family come to visit and invite (as if I need any persuading) me to meet them where they’re staying.

My Perth nephew is as passionate about Sydney as I am. He has had an action-packed itinerary while he’s been here. He was at Master SSG’s school musical, got to visit the set afterwards, brought his scooter along to get in a few rides around Darling Harbour (pictured) and he was at the zoo yesterday.

I’ve taken a more sedate approach to the visit, kicking back with a glass of champagne in the hotel lobby in between activities.

Master SSG has always had a soft spot for Darling Harbour. His favourite activity (other than attacking the playground opposite Maccas) is to watch the performers dotted along the concourse.

It wouldn’t be a gathering of cousins, siblings and extended family without a lavish dinner somewhere.

One kind of dinner that’s always a hit with the children is a hotel buffet. The theatre, the choice, the opportunity to walk between courses… it’s everything you could want on a Saturday night. The night’s chosen venue was Kitchens On Kent at the Langham which I believe was originally the Observatory Hotel.

We were a little early for our booking but I came prepared with a supply of box-fresh Crayola.

Kitchens on Kent is a beautiful dining space. It’s airy and spacious which makes it very child-friendly. There are a number of stations clustered together in the middle of the dining room which features a host of ready to go foods as well as made to order stations that make crepes, naan (more on that later), noodles, sashimi as well as a carvery.